Better Than That
by xoAlmostFamous
Summary: Chad finally asks Taylor out on a date, so she goes to the only person she can turn to...Sharpay? ChadTaylor.


**Better Than That**

**By: xoAlmostFamous**

**Pairing: Chad//Taylor**

**A/N: I have finally posted this! Kudos to Katie, who pushed me to finally conclude this fic!**

**Please review!**

Taylor Mckessie stood at her locker, shoveling books into her backpack as she prepared to leave for home. She shut it and was startled by the sight behind the door. It was none other than Chad Danforth.

Taylor wasn't sure what to call the two of them. Were they a couple? Friends? Friends with benefits? In any case, Taylor wasn't afraid to say she was attracted to Chad. That was never an issue. The problem was that she had never felt this way about a guy before. She didn't know how to handle it.

"Hey Taylor." Chad said with a warm grin on his face. "Hi Chad." she responded curtly. Chad leaned against a locker. "So… I was kinda wondering if maybe, sometime…." Taylor waited impatiently as he spoke. She _hated_ when he procrastinated. "… you might want to go on a date sometime? Like tonight?" Chad's face looked scared. Taylor had never seen him like that before.

"Yes." Taylor responded, though a little quicker than she intended. Chad rubbed his chin nervously. "Really?" he asked her, wincing about from the nervousness he was encountering. "Yes. Really." Her face was glowing with excitement. Chad's smile returned to his face. "Great. I'll pick you up 7 'o clock sharp." He ran off to practice, leaving Taylor with only one question- what was she going to wear?  
HSM-HSM-HSM

Taylor thought she had this all figured out. She'd always been able to keep her composure when stressful things happened. But this was different.

It was about _him_.

As painful as it was to admit, she had only one person to turn to.

Sharpay Evans.

Ever since their rocky summer at Lava Springs, Gabriella and Taylor had come to and uneasy truce with Sharpay. They wanted so much to be friends with her, but nothing could erase the damage she had caused with her friends.

"Sharpay!" Taylor called seeing the tall blonde at her locker. Sharpay glanced over at her, startled. "Mckessie? What do you want?" Taylor tried her hardest not to scowl. "I-I need your help."

Sharpay looked puzzled at the sound of this request. "Hmm. With what?" Taylor stared innocently at her. "Chad asked me out on a date… and I don't know what to do." Sharpay arched one of her newly waxed eyebrows. "Danforth? Ew."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Please Sharpay. I'm… begging you." Sharpay's mouth curled into a smile. "Okay. I'll help you. But why do you need it anyway?" Taylor began to chew on her lip nervously. "Oh my God, you've never been on a date before, have you?" Taylor nodded with embarrassment. "Come on," Sharpay said, grabbing her wrist, "We have a lot of work to do."

HSM-HSM-HSM

"Sharpay," Taylor said nervously 3 hours later, "I look like your closet just threw up on me." A smile tugged on Sharpay's lips. "And? You look _hot_." Taylor had to admit- she couldn't remember a time she looked this nice. Her normally straight brown locks were curled and volumized to perfection. Every angle of her face was stunningly powdered and glossed. She smiled at the reflection looking back at her in the mirror. "I… thank you, Sharpay." Taylor shot her a genuine look of thankfulness.

Sharpay's ice cold exterior cracked, if only for a moment. "You're welcome. Come to me anytime if you have a make-up emergency, kay?" A giggle escaped Taylor's mouth. "Of course."

HSM-HSM-HSM

_Tick-tock_.

30 seconds until her date with Chad.

_He's gonna be late,_ she thought, _he always is._

_Ding-dong._

"Or not." Taylor thought out loud as she got up to get the door. She smoothed her skirt and opened it slowly.

"For you."  
There in front of her stood Chad, with a dozen roses in hand. He blinked for a moment and asked "Wait- Taylor?" She blushed as Chad gawked at the sight before him.

After a somewhat awkward silence, Chad spoke. "Wh-what happened?" Taylor's smile quickly faded into a hurt expression. Seeing this, Chad rushed into a makeshift explanation. "No…no, that's not what I meant! You just look so… different." Taylor felt hot tears sting her eyes. "I…I just wanted to look pretty for you." Chad couldn't help but smile. "Seriously?" he asked her. "Yeah." She muttered, looking down at her feet.

"Well, Tay, I appreciate it, but you didn't need to that. I already think you look beautiful." Taylor's head shot up. "You do?" Chad inched closer to her and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Of course. You don't need make-up or fancy clothes to look amazing. Taylor, you just **are**. You don't need to look like Sharpay for me to like you," He pulled her to him and held her close. "You are better than that." He whispered the last part in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

Taylor pulled away ever so slightly to look up at him, not wanting to break the embrace. She stood on her tip-toes and gave him a feather light kiss on his lips. She broke the apart from him and buried her head into his chest, not wanting him to see the embarrassment in her face.

"Miss Mckessie, I believe you owe me a date." Chad kissed her hair and interlaced her fingers with his. "Yes. I think I do."

**A/N: Okay, so the end was a bit fluffy, but I think it turned out okay for my first Chaylor fic! Let me know!  
-Caitlin:)**


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